The present invention relates to a deceleration device for a movable component in an aircraft, in particular to a deceleration device for a cockpit door for decelerating or reducing the speed in the case of decompression, to a cockpit door device comprising such a deceleration device, and to an aircraft comprising a deceleration device for decelerating a movable component in an aircraft.
An aircraft comprises a multitude of movable components which in the case of decompression, i.e. a loss of pressure, are then accelerated due to the resulting strong air stream relative to the aircraft. In particular in the case of doors or flaps that close more or less closed-off spaces in an aircraft, due to the relatively large door- or flap surfaces significant forces are experienced if there is a great pressure difference, which forces act upon a door or flap, thus being able to accelerate said door or flap. For such incidents, which can, for example, occur as a result of the loss of a window with a subsequent strong air stream, and which can result in considerable acceleration of, for example, door elements, deceleration devices are provided in aircraft, which deceleration devices, when certain limiting values of acceleration are exceeded, absorb forces that occur during decompression and in a suitable manner compensate said forces in a controlled way, thus preventing the door suspension as such from experiencing structural failure and thus in the case of decompression becoming an uncontrollably-moved component with a very considerable potential for destruction and injury.
However, such deceleration systems should be able to be set such that, for example in the case of a cockpit door, they allow quick opening and release of a cross section, however in the case of an adequately-sized opening they should generate an increased deceleration effect so that after the initial opening process defined deceleration and compensation of the kinetic energy built up in the accelerated moving component can take place.